Ello

My parents had been expecting a boy. I was going to be Keoke, the Hawaiian version of my father’s name. (Substitute K for G. Hawaiian has few consonants.) For a girl, they had a list. They read the names to me and the one I responded the best to, was the name they gave me.

I knew a woman once named Sydney, and I envied her. It was coolly androgynous and kind of down-to-earth yet slightly exotic. I also loved that Nancy Drew’s best friend was a girl named George. Names like Dana, Ryan, Bailey, Quinn, and Kelsey are cool. Unisex names that could be either… but I especially like women with boyish names. I have often thought of changing my name to something Unisex, but I’ve never really been comfortable even using nicknames. My given name fits like a well-worn pair of boots, even if they aren’t really my style. After all, I did choose it.

I still may change it. Perhaps soon. I am about due for a re-invention.